Tash-Rabat

Tash-Rabat

Ancient hotel-fortress built for protection of travelers on the Silk road

Dating back to the 15th century, Tash Rabat is one of the few ancient buildings in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Tash Rabat is a stone caravanserai, a roadside inn where travelers would stop to rest and relax.  It is one of the best remaining examples of the ancient caravanserai in existence, with a total of 31 rooms.

Although only 90 kilometres from the Chinese border at Torugart, the caravanserai is set some 15 kilometres away from the main highway up a side valley.  This ensured that it was safer and less vulnerable to brigands.

It seem it was not only a place of rest, but also of worship.  At 3,500 metres high it would have been the final stopping place before making that last push over the mountains, or equally a place for a well-earned rest if you had just crossed the mountains.